Question

Which of these chords are dissonant or consonant:

C major
E major
Bb major
G# major
C minor
E minor
Bb minor
G# minor

Answer 1

While chords such as C major or E minor are generally consonant, the specific combination of F, F-sharp, and G struck simultaneously would produce a dissonant sound, characterized by beat frequencies of 21 Hz, 22 Hz, and 43 Hz due to the close frequencies interfering with each other.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns understanding the nature of musical chords, specifically whether they are dissonant or consonant. In Western music theory, consonant chords are chords that have a pleasing sound when played together, typically because their frequencies have simple ratios with each other. In contrast, dissonant chords have frequencies that create a harsher, more tense sound due to more complex frequency ratios.

The chords C major, E major, Bb major, G# major, C minor, E minor, Bb minor, and G# minor are all considered to be consonant when played in isolation because they consist of notes that harmonize with each other. However, if we consider an example like what is asked in the question, where three adjacent keys on a piano (F, F-sharp, and G) are struck simultaneously, producing frequencies of 349, 370, and 392 Hz, the result would indeed be dissonant. This dissonance is evidenced by the beat frequencies produced, which occur when two or more notes with close but not identical frequencies are played together, resulting in a pulsing sound as they interfere with each other.

For the specific frequencies given, the beat frequencies would be the absolute differences in frequencies between each pair of notes: F and F-sharp (21 Hz), F-sharp and G (22 Hz), and F and G (43 Hz).

Answer 2

Dissonant chords are combinations that sound jarring, like middle C and the C sharp above (a minor second). The reason why we should like one but not the other has long vexed both musicians and cognitive scientists The simple intervals that are considered to be consonant are the minor third, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, and the octave. The intervals that are considered to be dissonant are the minor second, the major second, the minor seventh, the major seventh, and particularly the tritone, which is the interval in between the perfect fourth and perfect fifth.

Stable or consonant intervals are the octave, fifth, thirds and sixths. Unstable or dissonant intervals are the others: seconds, sevenths, and particularly the augmented 4th and diminished 5th. Consonance and dissonance refer to intervals and chords. The interval between two notes is the number of half steps between them, and all intervals have a name that musicians commonly use, like major third (which is 4 half steps), perfect fifth (7 half steps), or octave. (See Interval to learn how to determine and name the interval between any two notes.)

Step-by-step explanation: